Today is Children in Need day. This year the focus is on helping children with mental health problems, whic I am sure is going to be needed as the fallout from this pandemic leaves a legacy of health anxious, alcohol dependent children (They are addicted to licking the hand gel from their hands: trust me - it’s a time bomb). The five to thrive campaign is hoping it can not only use this opportunity to raise funds for those already in crisis but also prevent more children slipping into need. Connect, be curious, get active, take notice and give are the five things we should do to thrive.
This means that frazzled teachers, already struggling to keep five year olds in seats now have a non uniform day to contend with and as they aren’t really allowed to connect with the other staff (stick to your bubble!) they’ll just have to work harder on the others, already giving as much as they are able and pushing through the morning Joe Wicks, despite the obligatory 3am panic waking. It is probably the taking notice and being curious parts that will get them through.
Children in Need day is always one where I miss Terry Wogan. I grew up with him on the radio. My parents tried to fight the flab while we pranced around the living room to the floral dance. He wasn’t only the presenter on Children in Need and Radio 2’s breakfast presenter but also the host of Eurovision, where he made a name for the best sarcastic commentary, even though he clearly loved it as much as we do. In the Eighties he had been host of the brilliant game show Blankety Blank and became a chat show host. At the time he was everywhere. I worked with someone whose husband was a cameraman at ITV. They also lived in the same town as Terry and had thought that he was becoming arrogant. One day, she came to work and told me a brilliant story of his wife telling him off and explaining that he was just a lucky man and really shouldn’t get too big for his boots. I was very relieved to hear this because no body wants to hear that their heroes are less than perfect.
Terry Wogan was my hero. I listened to him every morning and I wrote to him every Friday. I considered myself to be a WOG (Wogan’s Old Geezers) despite being a 14 year old girl. I wrote about finding a traffic cone in a strange place; an escapee from the EU Cone Mountain. I wrote about magpies and gremlins and how I’d love to visit the lady who shut the gates on the Cockbridge to Tomintoul Pass at the first flake of snow.
For me, Terry Wogan, inspired many of the five to thrive elements, particularly the take notice and be curious. I could notice things and write to Terry to ask him why? He also inspired laughter, which I think is the most important thing for mental health.
Laughter is one of the main reasons I’m so grateful to be working in the school I work in. We laugh. A lot. There was a story I’m meant to tell you about plums and flumps but I can only remember the laughter and the, “Here’s one for your blog,” instruction.
So today, I will be missing Terry and humming the floral dance as I laugh my way through the day.
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